"...She has expressed a moderate interest, and has brought an old iPhone on outings to shoot with previously..." Robert, Paul nailed this...

The ubiquitous iPhone is rapidly becoming the tool of choice for the vast segment of the younger generation... I work with quite a few "Tweens" and it is the iPhone that totally rocks for them!

DSLR's are currently in their "Swan song" soon to become a relic of endearing times gone by...
Embrace change and champion the new paradigm Robert.
Your daughter will vastly benefit from same...

I received the first camera wehn I was 7-years old. I fell in love with the camera as a really neat (toy) device- perhaps in that respect, I never grew up! Because I never could draw beyond stick figures and really wanted to express myself by making pictures. I remember loving to take pictures of things that interested me- not necesseralyy what my parents and family thought was a particularly good )traditional) idea. Seemed that pictures of OTHER that family members and friends, were a "waste of film". I was more interested in the cat, dogs in the street, and objects with interesting shapes like the ironwork on the readings on the outside stairway, fire hyderants and lamp posts with interesting shapes and designs and a few "pretty girls" in the neighbourhood.

I did manage to persevere and as long as I shot a few frames of mom, dad, grandma or my kid-cousins, I would be allowed to save up my allowance to buy rolls of Verichrome 127 and pay for some drugstore photofinishing. Occasionally my parents would subsidize my artistic endeavours.

Nick, a neighbourhood mechanic and service station operator was an avid amateur photographer. I would show him my pictures and he would advise me as to improvements- he really taught me the nuts and bolts and the basic of framing the image, not to shoot too far away, and not having the "pretty girls" squinting in the sunlight and shooting instead in the open shade.

At 10-years old the Bakelite Kodak Baby Brownie Special was upgraded to a 2 1/4 square Brownie Hawkeye with a flash holder. A year later came the Poney 35mm and I got to learn all about f/stops. shutter speeds, depth of field, and flashbulbs. I had a Kalart flash holder and a K-2 cloud filter. Nick gave me an octagon-shaped Weston exposure meter.

Luckily, I did learn the rudiments at an early age. I would write letters of technical enquiry to Kodak's Sales-Service Division and they would send me free Databooks. My adult friends did instill the disciplines but I considered all of it great FUN! Learning the technicalities does not need to be tedious, boring, or strenuous on a young person. The trick is that each time a method or technique is learned and it yields good, better or improved results there is intrinsic encouragement.

I have never had any pedagogical training, but I ain't a half-bad instructor or teacher of photography. If you are trying to teach a kid, just put yourself in the kid's shoes and think back to your own childhood and schooling. Which of your teachers motivated you, encouraged you and stimulated your interests. Which teachers were frustrated "drill instructors" and with put you to seep in their class or made you wanna play hookey. Just be the first kinda teacher.

In digital photography, there is instant gratification or disappointment so it's easy to teach kids to do this right and have fun at the same time.

At 6-years old- take it slow and easy. Firstly, set the camera on an automatic mode and let them get the feel of handling it. Some kids are more technically, scientifically, and/ or artistically inclined. You will soon find out. Everyone learns at a different rate so be patient. Introduce the manual adjustments according to the kid's progress. When they see how they can change things- they will get a kick out of it and catch on rather quickly.

Most importantly, encourage your 8-year-old to photograph people and things that interest her and to express her ideas in her pictures. Show here how to tell stories with images. Eventually introduce her to seeing light, textures and perspectives. Perhaps do a project such as a slideshow to preset to the family.

1. Lots of exposure to pictures of things she says she likes - ask, don't lecture find pictures on line or a book to look at.
2. pick a subject that "she" wants to photograph - ask her - and take her where that subject can be found
3. start with the camera on A so she just has to worry about getting it in the view finder
4. "simple" composition rules only one or two like "rule of thirds"* and leading lines, maybe natural framing/fill the frame and turn her loose to try on her own
5. then import them into a computer (or let her do it) and let her view them, do not start lectureing about which are bad, which are good and why, let her decide and then answer questions "I don't like this one." "Why?" xxxxxxxx, OK what could you do differently then? If she asks explain it "briefly" Or "I really like this one." "Why?" xxxxxxxx "Then remember to do that in more pictures."
6. Later get into things like exposure triangle and ease into it with the P setting and only change one setting at a time. Manual is far in the future.
7. still later you can get into more technical stuff, advanced composition etc.

MOST OF ALL JUST LET HER HAPPILY SNAP AWAY AND THEN VIEW HER IMAGES.

And most importantly be patient, the time line can vary up to several months to cover these steps. And if she loses interest do not try to force it. Let her go watch Paw Patrol or My Little Pony, play with her toys, etc. etc. etc. She may or may not come back to it in a day, week etc. Being forced is an almost guaranteed way to turn her off to the whole thing.

*I got out a selection of 8x10 and 8.5x11 prints and two sheets of clear overhead transparency film with dry erase markers. One had the rule of thirds grid printed on it and one was blank for marking. I then laid the printed one on images to show the rule of thirds, the blank one got laid on prints and I let our special needs son (at the time 26 with the mentality of a bright 5 year old) use the dry erase (I used it also) to mark things and then discussed them. And later I printed a few of his images and let him do the same things. His mother took the "classes" with him. Comment on our first trip to the park to take pictures "Why didn't someone show me this stuff 40 years ago?" (our oldest was 43 at the time-I wonder who "someone" is???) Our oldest isn't into photography - just casual snapshots etc. and the baby Jasmine won a T2i selling girl scout cookies in 12th grade and took it to UCLA where she learned by being one of the few girls in the photography club - lots of volunteers to teach her, some of whom could design and build digital cameras if they wanted to take the time.

Oh, I am a retired classroom teacher and taught photography one year and ran photo clubs several years while teaching history/geography/government.

There are several good responses above - those that are “let kids be kids”. Your assignment, not hers, is to make it as fun as possible to create the desire and joy that it can bring. All the technical stuff can come later - as she wants to learn. Start with as automatic as it gets(program or scenes), and add a control at a time as she wants it to happen to get specific results.

I like the idea of a digital frame, thanks. She has a special day coming up, that might be a good gift idea.
I love the ideas around finding out what she wants to take pictures of, and then make that happen. I also like the idea of you and her both on similar cameras. It will feel like she is growing up.

I would add a suggestion of some kind of digital frame where she can “post” her work for the family to see. I like Nixplay due to its online control, but any digital frame will work. the more she sees her own work, and the more she gets encouragement from other family members, the more she will want to do.

Good luck

I teach photography in a public high school in the northeast. I'll give you a description of one of the assignments I use to get my students using their cameras. This year, due to Covid and students "distance learning" I had to switch from using the schools point n shoot cameras to the students smartphones. I'm sure this will work for either.
Ali Smith (from the UK) did a series of photos called "My Red Wellies" Where she placed her pair of red wellington rain boots in different places as if they had someone still in them. An internet search will get you some examples. Also Horst Wackerbarth (also from the UK) shipped a red velvet couch around the world and photographed it in different places from Australia to California to some artic region.
I have my students choose a single item they have a connection with or just find interesting and tell them to photograph it in as many different places, camera angles, etc. as possible. I am fond of saying "you can never take too many photographs". I am always surprised by their choice of objects and the places they put them. Recently one girl photographed her "security" bunny in places like the grocery store, on a park bench, in a used car lot, it was a great series. I always try making the assignments fun.
Good luck

How about asking her to plan a "photo outing" for the two of you and tell her that she will be leading it - from venue to subject matter to meal and snack breaks. Student-guided learning situations are always more engaging than canned, teacher-led experiences, especially with the younger set. By getting her involved you are giving her ownership and encouraging self-determination. It's not just about the camera. And if she wants to shoot with a cellphone - that's more than fine. You should focus on getting her to see and record what she sees. The tech stuff about lenses, exposure settings etc will come in time when she is ready.

Just be wary and careful if she says she wants to shoot alligators.

Here are a few ideas. Things that begin with the alphabet letter... / X number of animals / looking in a different direction / Oldest and Newest of any set, buildings, cars and trucks, etc. / Pictures like postcards / Fast moving things / Tasty foods / Biggest and smallest flowers / Weather, good and bad / Attractive photos of cooking gear (or tools of any kind) / Things that use strings, etc. / Design a photo scavenger hunt with a list of items to capture.
Some of these can be readily cycled - could, should be fun, and to see the output as well!